I LOVE this little grater. I use it all the time for grating garlic...it makes it into a paste-perfect for recipes where you don't want chunks or pieces! Can be used for making fresh wasabi or for grating ginger.

It’s almost lunchtime around the office, and we’re looking for some foodspiration for what to nosh on. These cute fake food rings by Sofia of Sou Zou Creations are the perfect appetizer! Sou Zou in Japanese means “Creation Through Imagination,“ which is evident in all of Sofia’s adorable handmade jewelry. Though Canadian herself, Sofia lives with her husband in his native country of Japan where she gets all of her inspiration. Her sweet treats range from models of traditional Japanese dishes like bubble tea to cutesy favorites like cherry pie rings. If your taste buds aren't tantalized enough, Sofia’s rings are all priced at a mere $10- $15. For more of Sofia and Sou Zou Creations check out her Etsy page here!

Friday, July 29, 2011

These rings are so cute and popular in my kawaii jewelry / accessory shop at @etsy. Each ring has unique piece of sushi like shrimp, tobiko, egg, tuna etc. These are perfect for wearing at party, wedding and birthday present etc.

Often made of sakura (cherry wood) and seasoned for about 3 years before carving, kashigata were used to make dried confectionery made of rice flour and sugar called rakugan. Earliest records show that this practice dates back to the mid-17th century. These confections were used as offerings and snacks for celebratory occasions and even unfortunate events. For example when a person died, it was expensive to give flowers or fresh food so, people made these sweets in the form of flowers, fish etc. These items were then placed on the "butsudan" (family shrine found in the house) for the dead person.

Kashigata were also used in the making of wagashi (nama-gashi or freshly made cake and hi-gashi or dried confectionery) for tea ceremonies.

With the advent of refrigeration, fresh fish replaced rakugan motifs like the sea bream. Sadly today, making offerings for fortunate and unfortunate events is no longer a common practice. This in turn has lessened rakugan demand although they are still found in tea ceremonies and homes. The decrease in kashigata artisans today has made kashigata carving a dying craft making kashigata itself a sought-after collectible.

*You can use this mold as food mold to cook. Please clean thoroughly before using.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

This was an amazing find. They are from the "昭和" "showa period" . The "showa" period is from 1926-1989 but these are at about 25-30 years old . This is called "型紙" or "katagami". This is a stencil that was used to make "kashigata" (for more information on "kashigata please see below).

This one is made from paper-but not flimsy normal paper....this is wonderful thick Japanese paper and it is in fabulous condition.

This stencil could be used but it would also be fabulous framed and hung on a wall.

There is a kanji (chinese writing character in Japan) "三" "san" = "three" and it is surrounded in "井桁" "igeta" = "rhombus". A family name is called "mitsui" 三井 = one of big and powerful family running many business like bank, investing company, airplane factory, real estate and etc.

These are really cute Japanese stickers. In Japanese cuisine, sushi is vinegared rice, usually topped with other ingredients, including fish, various meats, and vegetables. There are "ebi" (shrimp), "uni" (sea urchin), "maguro" (tuna), "kappa maki" (cucumber sushi rolls) etc.

The word sushi itself comes from an outdated grammatical form of a word that is no longer used in other contexts; literally, sushi means "it's sour."

These are perfect for scrapbooking, card making or any project you can think of!

These are soooo cute embellishments! We put up some pics on our flickr page of another set and had so many comments and flickr mail about the set that we decided to sell this one as is rather than break it up.

This pack is mixed-you get some hearts, sweets, flowers etc! You get exactly what you see in the pictures.

17.5 Dollars /50 Piece = 35 cents / 1 piece.

The smallest is about 8mm wide and the biggest is about 2.5 cm wide

These are good for making handmade jewelry, accessory, strap, key holder and etc

This is a cute bento box! It is slim and two-tiered. It is called Caprice De Salade. The bottom tier holds 140 ml or 4.93 oz and the top tier holds 220 ml or 7.75 oz.. It comes with a blue color elastic strap to keep it all together.

The size - 15.2 cm x 5.6 cm x 7 cm or 6 inch x 2.2 inch x 2.8 inch.

If you take 2 lids inside and outside out of it, you can use it in microwave. You cant use it in oven, grill and also cant wash in dishwasher.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Sushi ring is popular in our "kawaii cute Japanese rings" at etsy. There are 2 sushi with soy sauce on small dish, sushi with tea cup, sushi roll with sake drink bottle & cup etc. You will love them!! These are perfect for party jewelry and special gifts to your friends & family.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

These are soooo cute embellishments! We put up some pics on our flickr page of another set and had so many comments and flickr mail about the set that we decided to sell this one as is rather than break it up.

There are sweets, fruit, flowers, hearts and much more!! You get exactly what you see in the picture.

17.5 Dollars /50 Piece = 35 cents / 1 piece.

The smallest is about 8mm wide and the biggest is about 3.4cm wide

These are good for making handmade jewelry, accessory, strap, key holder and etc.

This is very cool! You can put hard boiled eggs in here and they come out in a cute shape. This package has a rabbit and bear. The color might be different from the photos because the company sells different colors as same products.

1) You boil the egg and then immediately (while still hot) peel off the shel and put it in the shape of your choice.

2) Close it and then put it in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes.

Voila! An egg shaped like a bear and rabbit. Your little one will love it!

This is a unique mold making 4 different shape rice balls easily. This is so easy to make. All you need is to put some rice into the molds and press it. You can make 4 rice balls at same time. There are bear, rabbit, star and flower shapes.